One-third to each



(No Model.)

LA. LINDSAY.

l Liquid Tester. e. No 232519' Patented Sept. 21, 1880.

Witnesses ,Zaren/for.

e @we NITED SrAri-:sA

PATENT rarest JAMESA. LINDSAY, OF KENDALL, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS OF HISRIGHT TO J. J. YANDERGRIFT, OIL CITY, AND W. A. SPRING, OF KENDALL,PENNSYLVANIA, ONE-THIRD TO EAOH.

LIQU D-TESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 232,519, datedSeptember 21, 1880.

Applicationled April "l, 1880.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES A. LINDSAY, of

the borough of Kendall, in the county of Mc- Kean and State ofPennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in LiquidTesters or Thieves; and I do herebyT declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to lettersot' reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

`My invention relates to an improvement in what are ordinarily calledoil thieves or testers, which are used to ascertain the condition ot'liquids at various depths, and more particularly whether there is anywater underlying the oil in a tank, barrel, or other vessel.

My invention consists in a liquid-testermade of two concentricclosely-tting tubes, movable as to each other, each tube provided with aseries of openings or slots in its side extending nearlythe whole lengththereof, and so arranged that communication of the interior ofthe innertube with a surrounding liquid can be opened and closed and inspectionof the interior be allowed through a transparent plate secured to theinner tube.

Figure 1 is a side view of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectiontaken on the line 2 2 ot Fig. 4, with the interior tube thrown down bythe force of the spring. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3 3 ofFig. 4, but the interior tube is pushed up and the spring compressed.'Fig. 4 is a horizontal section. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of theinner tube, and Fig. 6 is a partial View of the lower portion of adifferent way of making the apparatus.

The apparatus is made ot' two concentric tubes, A and B, made to iit soclosely to each other as to be practically water-tight. The inner tube,B, is closed at both ends, eitherby ascrew-plug, as at m, or in anyother way. The lower end has the pin G, which projects through the lowercap, F', of the outer tube, A. The

"tube B is pierced with the perforations b, and also with a slot, E, ora series of long slots (No model.)

` glass or mica.

The outer tube, A, is somewhat longer than the inner tube, B, so as togive space for the spring L. The outer tube, A, is closed at each end bya screw-cap, the upper one, F, being solid and the lower one, Ff, beingpierced with a hole to allow the passage of the pin G. A is also piercedwith the holes a to correspond with those in B, and so arranged thatwhen B is pressed up the holes o and b correspond with each other, asshownin Fig. 3 5 but when the tube B is pressed down in the tube A bythe spring L the holes no longer correspond, and consequently no liquidcan pass into B. This position is shown in Fig. 2. The slots C `in tubeA are open, and need not be lled with mica or glass.

l is the rod by which the instrument is handled, and may be of anyconvenient length.

It is fastened to the tester or thief by the setscrews I, fastening itin the stems H of the collars H.

The inode of operation of the apparatus is as follows: Suppose theliquid to be tested is oil contained in a tank, and that several inchesof water have settled to the bottom. It is desired to ascertain thedepth of such water. The rod K should be a few feet longer than thedepth of the liquid, and the apparatus, being fastened to its lower end,is lowered vertically to the bottom of the tank, and is pushed down withsuflicient force to cause the` tube B to slide up in the tube A untilthe respective openings b and c correspond. The surrounding liquid thenrushes into the interior of B and fills it with water and oil, and thewater-level will be the same in B that it is in the tank. When thedownward pressure on the rod is removed the spring L immediately pushesthe tube B downward, closing the apertures b, and thus preserving in theinstrument the saine height of water that is in the tank. When theinstrumentis removed the depth of water will be shown through thetransparent plate E and slots O.

The tube may be graduated or marked with inches and fractions, so thatthe exact depth may be seen at a glance, or the distance from thewater-line to the point of Gr may be measured. The depth of the waterbeing known, its quantity can be ascertained by calculation, and thusthe quantity of oil in the tank can be determined.

. The pin Gr is provided with a screw-thread, g, that extra length ofstandard may be attached in case the water should be deeper than thelength of the tube B.`

In Fig. 6 I show a modification of the instrument. In this I make thetubes so that the inner one, B, reaches from cap to cap of the tube A,and use no spring.

In the outer case, A, I show two long slots, a! and C; but only one isnecessary. In the tube B, I would make a long slot7 b', and a slot withthe transparent plate E.

V(The'piu G should be made with the fork N. The rod K may be fastened inthe top cap. Pressing the fork N upon the bottom with sufficient force,the tube A can be turned on the tube B so as first to open the slots andthen' close them, and bring the transparent plate E opposite slot a', oropposite a slot cut for the purpose of allowinginspectiou of saidtransparent plate E. Suitable pins can beinserted to properly limit themotion; but this is of but slight importance, as it is necessary only toclose the slots below the liquid, and after the'instrument is taken outthe tubes can be turned sufficiently to expose the transparent plate Eat the slot a.

Instead of slots to allow the passage of the liquid, holes may be madethrough both tubes, similar to those shown in Fig. 3, in such positionsthat they may be opened and closed by the rotary movement.

I claim-` 1. A liquid-tester made of two concentric closely-iittin gtubes, movable as to each other,

each tube provided with a series .of openingsl or slots in its sidesextending nearly the whole length thereof, and so arranged thatcommunication of the interior of theinner tube with a surrounding liquidcan be opened and closed as described, and inspection of the interior beallowd through a transparent plate secured to the inner tube,substantially as shown and speciiied.

2. In an oil tester or thief, the combination of the tube A, providedwith slots C and aper tures a, of the tube B,provided with aperturesband transparent plate E, and of the spring L, substantially as shownand described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as ,'my own I affix my signaturein presence of two wltnesses.

JAMES A. LINDSAY.

Witnesses:

J AMES C. BoYcE, KENTON SAULNIER.

